When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going
by chi-jey
Summary: After the seemingly never-ending days with her best friend Mikan, Hotaru finds herself recruited by persona. "Do it or it won't be pretty for this kitty," persona said, showing a picture of a happy Mikan. My first FanFic. HotaruXRuka MikanXNatsume
1. New Recruit

**Alice Academy**

_When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going_

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing! Only the plot and the songs…xD

**a/n:** My first fanfic ^.^ . I'm not really sure but I feel some OOC lingering around. Gomen about that *sweat drop*… Please do write your reviews, though… arigatou gozaimasu! ^.^

_If I could only be with you forever_

_I wouldn't even think about regrets_

_My heart beats for you, and only you alone_

_That's the reason why I wrote this song_

_No matter how it hurts I'd take my chances_

_I just wanna say how much I love you_

_You're my first and last breath, I'll never let you go_

_I'd stand up with you until the end_

_**When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going**_

**Chapter One**

_New Recruit_

"Hotaru!! Ohayou gozaimasu!!" bubbly one star student was literally about to jump on her best friend's back.

BAKKA BAKKA BAKKA

The brutal reply (in self defense of course) was three consecutive cruel shots from the bakka gun.

"Owwiee… what's the big idea, Hotaru…" the brunette sat, nursing her now damaged yet still empty head.

"Jeez, you're too loud in the morning, idiot," the three star continued on walking. She didn't even bother turning back to see her animated friend.

"Hey, don't leave me here!!" Mikan complained, running after her quickly getting away best friend. The brunette didn't pursue after she saw the raven haired girl drifting away in her duck scooter (which, by the way, had appeared out of nowhere.)

"That Hotaru… leaving me again," the one star whined, walking away. She heaved a sigh and paused, touching her temples.

"Oi, strawberry print girl," the brunette heard a familiar, uncouth voice from behind her.

"What do you want, huh?" the girl pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest.

"You're in our way, get out," the infamous Black Cat spat, eyes like daggers.

"Okay, fine, sheesh," Mikan said in defeat.

"Anno, Sakura," said the blonde animal boy beside Natsume.

"Oh, what is it Luca-pyon?" the one star, arching a perfect slender brow, asked the blonde.

Ruka hesitated, looking into the distance for a brief moment. "Sh-shouldn't you be in homeroom right now?" he asked timidly, shuffling his feet.

"Oh, shoot!" Mikan said, startled. "Arigatou for reminding me Luca-pyon!" she started running full speed, and in a few nanoseconds she was out of the boys' sight.

Natsume and Ruka looked at each other in confusion.

"What just happened?" the special star asked, baffled.

"I have no idea," the animal boy shrugged, heaving a sigh.

But wait, moving on to important things…

"Imai Hotaru?" a man with raven hair came into the inventor's sight. He wore a white mask and a black leather jacket, and from his fingers lingered several silver rings of different qualities. On his pale face was a black lipstick, drawing into a bleak smile.

The inventor gasped in sheer astonishment, automatically dropping the wrench that was once in her hands.

"P-persona," the three star mumbled, stammering. Her cascading amethyst eyes were wide as saucers, and her mouth hung open.

"Natsume," the animal boy mumbled to his friend, who at the time was reading another one of his manga.

"What is it, Ruka," the notorious black cat was impassive, shoving the opened book into his face, for the technical purpose of hiding his expressions.

"You didn't tell Sakura," Ruka averted his eyes, saying the line in such a low volume it was as if he were whispering.

"Didn't tell her what?" the special star said in a monotonous voice, still indifferent.

"Don't play dumb, you and I both heard about persona's plans!" Ruka exclaimed, shifting his position to an offensive stance. "About Imai's recruitment!!"

"Humph," said the man in his façade. "I see," his smile grew more and more dreary. "I must be popular among the students,"

"What do you want," the petite raven hair cringed, forcing her soft voice out of her throat. It was unsuccessful, and the shaking of her voice didn't help either.

"Well since you've asked," he began, "Unfortunately the Academy's running out of manpower. Only a few from the dangerous ability type have decent alices, but those who _do_ have decent ones are constantly committing errors," he paused to see the raven haired girl's reaction, and smiled bleakly when he saw the girl drawing to a conclusion.

"So you want to use _me_ to make you weapons, for more convenient missions, I believe?" Hotaru sneered in derision, one arm akimbo.

"Ha!" persona said, applauding. "Just what I'd expected from the genius. I guess, _convenient_ is the most appropriate term for it. You would be very helpful to us,"

"There is no way I'd be working for you!" the girl said defensively, raising her chin.

"Oh?" the person in the façade said, "not even with the slightest possibility of your little kitty crushed into shambles?" he showed the raven haired inventor a photo, only to reveal the face of a happily smiling brunette, bubbly as ever.

"Don't you dare touch her!" the inventor lunged forward. Her eyes burned with intense hatred, hatred that this wasn't a fair play. She didn't want this. And neither would Mikan.

"So then, you have no choice, do you?" persona smiled in disdain.

"Alright," Hotaru drew back, a look of forlorn defeat lingering in her eyes. "I have a condition though,"

"Oh, and what might that be?" the man in the façade asked, folding his arms across his chest with a little too much pride.

"If you're gonna work me up day and night, I should get an extra allowance of 10,000 rabbits every week," the inventor said (and she was in her chibi form then), impassive.

"3,000 rabbits," persona argued, still keeping his cool. He forgot that this student was pretty demanding when it came to money.

"5,000," Hotaru said, pursing her lips. It was definitely final.

"Alright, whatever. Just go and work for the Academy, and let me handle the rest." The façade man brought things to a close, firming up his ivory mask.

The inventor heaved a sigh. "Just _don't_ touch her."

"Oh, my gosh! I got a B+ on the test! Hotaru just has to know!!! That'll show her I'm not stupid!" Mikan said in exhilaration, clenching her fists while jostling her elbow downward.

"Ohh! Sakura got a B+! What a miracle indeed!" Koko was amused, curling his index finger below his chin.

"Come on, don't say that Koko, she's not stupid, she's just having difficulties, that's all… neh Mikan-chan?" Iinchou scolded, defending his vivacious friend.

"What? It's true. That one star girl is stupid, and a big mouth, and so reckless…" Sumire started counting the brunette's so-called 'flaws'.

"Whatever, Permy, I'll still show this to Hotaru anyhow!" the one star said, grinning at the current thought that stumbled upon her hollow brain: the thought of stunning her pokerfaced best friend.

"Hey! You did not just call me Permy!" the Hyuuga-Nogi Fan Club president grimaced, arms akimbo.

Hotaru thought of the things that just happened. She got recruited by the Academy, and recruited for reasons she didn't really approve of. Furthermore, she has to be less around Mikan whenever possible, which, for her, wasn't a problem. But what the problem was, if the reckless one star found out, the girl would surely come and attack persona, a really unfathomable sight.

"Darn it," she said to herself, not giving anything away. Heaving a sigh, she reached for a random book and started flipping through its pages absent-mindedly.

_"Alright, so what're the rules?" the inventor asked in lack of interest, folding skinny arms across her chest. She sat on a nearby bench, crossing her legs._

_"Oh, there are but no rules at all," persona shrugged and leaned against a wall. "Just be discreet, and no nuisances whatsoever. Or else," he waved little old Mikan's photo mid-air, signifying a threat._

_"Alright then, your directions seem easy to live with," Hotaru shrugged, walking away._

_"Just wait, little girl," Persona said in a dreary tone. "Really. Any ruckus and the girl's resting in peace,"_

_Hotaru just gave the persona a sharp look and turned around swiftly, walking away._

"Stupid agreement," Hotaru mumbled to herself, burying her face in the book she was absentmindedly flipping through. 'Stupid Mikan!', she thought.

'She could've stayed back at the countryside, but no, she stupidly followed me here, and had to be involved in this little game. She could've stayed safe, hidden, away from this wretched institution! Even if she really has an alice, who would know? If she stayed there, it wouldn't even occur to them… Stupid, stupid, idiot. Oh what the heck, I'm the one talking to myself, aren't I?!'.

Hotaru felt herself slowly drifting into a peaceful sleep. Not until a loud banging hit her door. A familiar, uncivilized knock, leading to the one and only Mikan.

"Hotaru!!!" the brunette was about to reach for her best friend and hug her when suddenly she felt a punch on her face.

The mark of the horse hoof glove.

"Oowww! What's with you??" Mikan asked, though isn't it really a part of Hotaru's routine to hit Mikan whenever possible?

"Get out of here, bakka, I'm trying to sleep," the inventor said coldly, facing on the other side of her queen bed.

"Aww, but I was planning to celebrate my B+ with you," the brunette mumbled as she pouted, looking down at the floor.

"Go 'celebrate' with iinchou or Nogi or Hyuuga or something, just go away," the impassive moneygrubber retorted, keeping her voice bitter.

"Fiiine," one star student said (more like bleated), slowly closing the door.

**~ End of Chapter 1~**

**a/n:** So what do you think? It isn't much, is it? Please tell me if there's some OOC. Reviews, please. Arigatou gozaimasu!


	2. In On The Secret, Too

**Alice Academy**

_When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going_

**Disclaimer:** Again, I would honestly say how I do not own Alice Academy. Only the plot and the songs.

**a/n:** Hey guys! Here's my 2nd chappy. Hope ya like it! ^.^

_If I could only be with you forever_

_I wouldn't even think about regrets_

_My heart beats for you, and only you alone_

_That's the reason why I wrote this song_

_No matter how it hurts I'd take my chances_

_I just wanna say how much I love you_

_You're my first and last breath, I'll never let you go_

_I'd stand up with you until the end_

_**When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going**_

**Chapter 2**

_In on the Secret, Too_

Hotaru was peacefully creating a new invention in her lab, her haven.

'Right, the main components are… let's see… I'll have to use a massive amount of nuclear energy, fuse them with alpha-bound particles, and then… no, this won't work… Suicidal! Tch, I just can't concentrate,' the inventor thought, shoving the blueprints she was working on.

Intending to relax her mind, the raven-haired girl walked outside, to get some fresh air. The weather was beautiful; the birds were happily singing, and the petite inventor felt the sun smiling down upon her.

"Oi," the raven hair heard a familiar voice, only to reveal a blonde animal boy sporting a serious look in his sapphire eyes.

"What is it, Nogi. I'm actually busy right now." The inventor said coldly, barely looking at the animal boy.

"I know," the blonde spat dryly. He looked at the girl with piercing eyes and clenched his fists.

"What are you talking about," Hotaru merely said a statement, rather than a question. She was still impassive at the moment, taking a seat at a nearby bench. It stood beneath a cherry tree, which strangely blossomed for almost the entire year. The inventor herself thought it was a beautiful sight, no matter how unobvious it may appear in her blank face. But she did love the place and she used to spend her time there when she felt like she couldn't go to Mikan.

"You're being used! Just like Natsume! How could you…?! Don't you know how much it would hurt Sakura?!" Ruka cried out, banging his clenched fist onto the cherry tree's trunk. He looked at the inventor with eyes almost stabbing, and if they really would, Hotaru would have had a thousand gashes by now.

"Look, animal boy. Don't dare and try to tell Mikan. I'm warning you I've still got your dancing pictures with Piyo. And who ever said that this was of your business, anyways? Just shut your mouth about it. It doesn't have anything to do with you." And Hotaru made her exiting speech, emphasizing the sentence 'it doesn't have anything to do with you'.

The bunny boy stared after her, who slowly disappeared into the distance.

'That Imai!' Ruka, sighing in defeat, took a rest by the bench. 'Why's she so cold? Where's that girl's heart?'

"Oi, Ruka," the notorious black cat came and sat beside his friend.

"Oh, Natsume," animal boy acknowledged Natsume's presence, who at the time sat crossing his legs.

"That girl's an idiot huh," Natsume grabbed his manga and started reading absentmindedly. The boy knew how it felt to be used by someone, how it felt to be powerless when it came to the people important to you. He knew how the girl probably felt, if she really did.

"Yeah," the sapphire eyed boy agreed, and then his face drew into a mischievous smile. "Wait a minute did you just say girl?"

Natsume looked at his best friend, who started laughing. 'Hotaru Imai, a girl. Right.' The black cat thought, joining his laughing companion.

'That stupid meddling bunny boy,' the inventor thought, walking briskly to the library. 'What does he know? Who does he think he is, shooting his mouth off at the great Hotaru Imai just like that? Is he completely insane?' the petite raven haired girl grabbed a few random books and then flipped through them idly.

"Oh, I knew I'd see you here, Hotaru!" the bubbly one star rushed through the door, running towards her best friend.

"Shh!" the librarian whispered after them.

"Woops!! Oh, Hotaru, wanna come to Central Town with me?" Mikan hissed, snatching a vacant seat on the inventor's current table.

"No, I'm busy." Was the indifferent answer from Hotaru, who was preparing to make her exit.

"Ohh!" Mikan hissed with a bit more volume. "Come on, we haven't spent that much time together in a while!"

"Go there by yourself, baka," the inventor replied coldly, barely making the effort to turn her back towards her vivacious friend. Instead, she walked away with no other thoughts in her mind.

'What a very complicated situation,' Hotaru sighed, seeing that the coast was clear. She leaned against a wall for support, support for her seemingly getting heavy body. 'What's more is that those boys know about this too, this isn't good,' she said, slowly drawing into unconsciousness.

…

…

"Imai! Oh God, you're awake… what the heck happened to you?" Ruka, shaking the inventor slightly, was really relieved this time. He cringed all of a sudden when he realized such an awkward moment.

"Oh, where am I," still groggy, Hotaru made the hardest effort to sit up comfortably.

"You passed out there in the hallway. You're a mess!" the bunny boy remarked, helping the inventor to sit up.

"Ah," Hotaru said, "Oh well, I gotta leave now."

The inventor was supposedly about to stand up but her body just won't budge. She scarcely was able to move a leg, and it hurt her senses when she tried to force it to move.

"Careful, Imai… you're still overworked. You should take a rest," the Blondie helped the raven hair sit up in a more comforting stance.

"Why are you here with me again?" Hotaru asked curtly, looking away. She kept her voice a cold monotone, and didn't bother about other unimportant things.

"Oh!" Ruka said, shuffling his feet. He felt his face getting quite hot and burning up with color. "I uh, just uh…" the animal boy stammered, something he quite didn't understand. It didn't use to be like this, as he'd told himself. Not until he had noticed how feminine Hotaru's petite frame was, or the scents she wore, or even the way she acts.

The inventor sighed and then shrugged in disappointment. She looked at bunny boy's eyes for a brief moment, and then looked away. "I can manage on my own, thank you," she said, averting her eyes from the blonde, but not losing her impassiveness.

"Uh—a-anno, I shall be going back, then," Ruka stood and walked out hastily, stumbling about three to four times during the pathetic act.

"Nogi…" Hotaru muttered in a low voice, "What an idiot."

'Hmm… I wonder where Hotaru is…' Mikan thought, wandering around aimlessly. Yes, and by aimlessly, I mean that she had stumbled her way to the Academy clinic. She walked through the halls like a zombie and then came back to life when she saw black cat's best friend resting on a door as if he'd just come out of it, and panting his handsome face out.

"Oh! Luca-Pyon!" vivacious one star called, waving her hand exaggeratedly.

It took the Blondie a minute or two to see how elatedly the brunette was there, waving at him. It also took him a while to give his winning gasp as a reflex. "Ah!" he exclaimed, Goosebumps obviously drawing out of his anxious face. "Sakura! What are you doing here?"

Mikan narrowed her eyes and looked at Ruka in suspicion. "I'm looking for Hotaru… how about you? Is Natsume in there?"

Bunny boy sighed and averted his eyes, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Uh-y-yeah!" he stuttered, "Unfortunately he's… still asleep!"

"Right. Show the door, animal boy!!" one star tried cracking it open, animal boy forcing it go back and close.

The scenario took about half an hour when they realized it was getting pointless. They started panting and then sat in exhaustion, trying to stare each other down momentarily.

"Look, you aren't allowed in there, Sakura," Ruka mumbled, looking away so as to avoid detection of lying.

"Oh, come on! I wanna come in!" Mikan whined, batting her eyelashes, which, Ruka found very cute.

"S-Sakura—" animal boy stammered, when the door behind them opened up all of a sudden.

"Just let her come in," a disappointed raven haired inventor tried her way to their sight. Her legs were shaking, and she strained herself just so she could stand up, using the wall for support. And then finally, a winning groan and the excruciating pain, giving them an inventor down on her knees.

"Hotaru!" Mikan exclaimed, coming to the petite three star. "What happened to you?"

BAKA BAKA BAKA

"Relax, you idiot, I'm fine," Hotaru said after her friend, who was currently tending her head from the blows.

"C'mon, we should get you to bed," Ruka suggested, averting his eyes from the girls.

The raven-haired legend sighed in defeat. Her eyes flew from Ruka to Mikan, vice versa. She didn't think that the moment was going so well, and finally shrugged mentally.

"So, how you feeling now?" Mikan, bashful, asked her best friend in a quiet voice. "What happened?" she said after Ruka.

"I feel fine, thank you," the inventor replied, trying to sound more grateful.

"She'd just been overworked, that's all," blondie replied, running a hand through his hair.

"Overworked, I see." The bubbly one star narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Something tells me that the best friend should know these kinds of things first before the blackmail material does."

For some unexplainable reason, Ruka blushed like mad

Hotaru sighed, exasperated. "Whatever. So I fainted, like that's a big deal." She eyed Mikan, really pissed that the girl might find out too much. "It's like it could even kill me." The inventor commented sardonically.

The bubbly brunette harrumphed, and folded her arms across her chest.

"And here we are being so nice to you," Mikan said bluntly, her eyes curtained by brunette bangs. "I hate you, Hotaru!"

The one star ran off, animal boy following after her.

"She hates me, she says…" Hotaru mumbled to herself, "That's good. Stay away from me and don't get killed," She was so silent and her eyes stayed put in one place for a long time, thinking nonetheless about Mikan's echoing words.

'_Stay away from me and don't get killed_, _baka_,'

It was past midnight already when Hotaru awoke again, seeing violets placed in a vase on the end table that sat by her bed. She concluded that Mikan put them there as peace offering or something.

The inventor laughed slightly, but came to stop when she saw a brunette with her temples lying on her arms, sitting by the three star's bed.

"Jeez," Hotaru said, smiling. "Why do you have do keep on surprising me like that?" she stood up cautiously, and realizing that she was okay, she took out a blanket and placed it over her vivacious friend, fast asleep in her chain of dreams.

Mikan's eyes were closed, still in her deep slumber, dreaming. "I love you Hotaru," she muttered, her saliva dripping from her mouth.

The inventor, completely taken aback, smiled silently. Having realized that she was now again capable of standing, she went and got Mikan a blanket.

"Arigatou, Mikan-chan." Hotaru whispered, heading for the window.

"Ah, it's no problem, Hotaru-chan…" Mikan muttered, still drooling, which earned a small giggle from Hotaru.

"Heh, so you do know how to laugh…" a certain three-star blonde said as he revealed himself from the shadows, smiling slyly.

"What the…" Hotaru was taken aback, but it was all concealed by a stoic expression.

"You should do that a lot more often, Imai. It kind of gets you more attractive, ya know." Ruka said, scratching his temples. He just came to realize that he had just given the icy Imai Hotaru a compliment, and laughed at himself for it. "Hey, I just gave you a compliment…wow."

"Yeah. First time huh." Hotaru replied, looking at the window with a blank expression on her face. She sighed, and then faced animal boy.

"I think…" the inventor started, looking animal boy in the eyes. "I want some gyoza," she continued, looking away and clutching at her growling stomach.

Ruka laughed for a second, and nodded. "Alright, alright. Since I'm in the mood to be nice to you today…you not blackmailing and taking pictures of me and all."

"…" Hotaru was indifferent, observing Mikan who was currently snoring away.

"Well, I'll be back in a few. Ja." Animal boy said, walking out the door. He headed for the school kitchen and laughed at himself again for having realized that he would be cooking for a girl. And not just a girl. A girl who blackmails him every single day of his life. "This is really something…" he said, smiling broadly.

"Oi, what's with that stupid looking smile on your face, Ruka?" this time a raven-haired boy with crimson eyes revealed himself, apparently having climbed up the window.

"N-Natsume…" Ruka stuttered, plain shock written all over his forehead.

"Oh my god Ruka if that was one stupid smile on your face, you must be in love or something." The notorious special star said, snapping his fingers in conclusion.

"Natsume…!" Ruka said, beet red and coy. "What the heck did you mean by stupid smile?"

"Jeez, you were alone and cooking—well—and humming and smiling." Natsume said flatly, though his eyes were at a teasing ambiance. "Ruka. Tell me, if you're not in-love then are you a homo?"

"Ugh! Stop teasing me!!" Ruka exclaimed, irritation coming across his handsome blonde face. "I'm just doing this for a peace offering!"

"Pssh. Peace offering my ass, cooking something as peace offering doesn't have to be done in such a quixotic way." Natsume argued, sitting by the window. An ever-stretching came until he finally broke it, still indifferent. "You…"

"…like Imai, don't you, Ruka."

**a/n: **Yeah! It took me a long time to update because I barely had the chance to continue writing this. Anyhow, there's nothing to worry about since I've already started the next chappy. Lol, a cliff hanger, but then I only did it to keep the suspense on. (Unless it's very predictable!) Well, appreciate those who read this and thanks for the reviews and support. Yosh! Reviews please minna! (Gomen for my short chappies, too… ^~^v…)

_**chi-jey**_


	3. Tandems, Are Made To Be Teased

**Alice Academy**

_When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going_

**Disclaimer:** Again, I would honestly say how I do not own Alice Academy. Only the plot and the songs.

**a/n:** Hey guys! Here's 3rd chappy. [took me long enough –_phew_–] Hope ya'll like it! ^.^

_**When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going**_

**Chapter 3**

_Tandems, Are Made To Be Teased._

"You… like Imai, don't you."

Ruka's eyes widened and his face puffed to beet red.

"Wh-what are you saying—Natsume?" The innocent bunny boy stuttered, averting his eyes.

"You know I don't like to repeat myself." Natsume looked at his friend with cold, yet somewhat teasing eyes.

Bunny boy looked at the black cat in disbelief. "Hn…what's with this teasing? I never teased you around Sakura, you know,"

The special star furrowed his brows, and then dropped his hand on Ruka's head.

"Ow—what was that for? Anyways, there's no way I could be in love, especially not with Hotaru!"

Natsume's eyes turned sly, and his mouth turned up into an impish smile.

"Who said anything about love, Romeo?"

And that was it. Ruka knew that he had just been caught. And he knew he was born to be caught, especially around 'that guy Natsume'.

Ruka snapped up and blushed even more, his head exploding. "UH—DON'T SAY ANYTHING TO ANYONE!"

Natsume made a cat-face-smile. "Okay…" and then started sniggering, dashing towards the window and disappearing into the night.

Having seen his friend leave, Ruka sighed. "I'm totally done for." He thought to himself. "How in the world did I fall for my blackmailer?"

"Still," Ruka thought. "Hotaru _is_ cute anyway," and he smiled delightfully to himself.

"You look like a stupid pervert thinking perverted thoughts on the floor," someone stated plainly.

Ruka turned to see where the voice actually came from, and shook his head in disbelief once he did.

"I-Imai?" he gasped, his heart beating wildly against his chest.

"I realized that the gyoza was taking so long so I went here to check it." The inventor said, walking towards the stove. She looked onto the pan and grimaced, handing it to Ruka. "It's burnt now, you idiot."

The bunny boy sweat-dropped. "Oh, s-sorry about that, I'll just make you another—is it alright for you to wait?"

Hotaru sighed, exasperated. "What were you doing here exactly? Distracting yourself with something?"

Ruka's eyes flew from Hotaru's, and then he quickly looked away. "It—was nothing…" he stuttered, getting a new set of stuff he needed to cook, but being too gauche and nervous, everything dropped to the floor.

"Forget the gyoza. I'm going to bed, slowpoke."

And Hotaru left the room dead.

"That girl. One moment she's kind, the next she's so cold," he muttered to himself. But he couldn't explain why he felt a jolt of pain strike his chest once he heard such icy words. He scowled towards the moon, and then left in disappointment.

The bunny boy went to check the inventor one last time in her room. She was in peace, lying on her side, facing her best friend. And she was…smiling in her sleep. Smiling like she was actually happy. Not the rare smiles that he sees but a genuine, blithe smile.

"I wish you would smile like this all the time, Imai." He said in a low voice, placing the food he cooked [after she left him earlier] on a nearby table.

"Thanks for the food, Ruka…" Three star ice queen whispered, still smiling.

Ruka looked at her in disbelief. He blushed, and held his chest. He then quickly ran for it, because he knew he was going to explode in joy sooner or later. The wimp.

The next morning was even more awkward. Oh yes.

"Ruka-pyon, Ruka-pyon!" Mikan said in a sing-song voice, as dashed towards Ruka, yanking his sleeve. "Is it true? Is it?"

"H-huh?" The animal boy looked at one star, apparently clueless.

"Natsume told me you liked Hotaru!" Mikan hissed, a tad loud.

Ruka again exploded and his head whistled, smoking. "Wh-what?"

"Well? Is it?" Mikan looked into Ruka's eyes, exhilarated. She held her breath and waited for animal boy's answer.

Which wasn't working, because it's been an hour and Ruka still stood like an idiot, speechless.

[Koko was even walking around with a sign ~MIKAN'S GOING FOR THE RECORD~]

"Hey—just say yes, Ruka, polka's choking to death, see?" Natsume pointed towards a bluish and balloon-faced Mikan.

Ruka eyed Mikan warily, and then almost panicked himself. "Okay—fine! Sheesh, yeah it's true—happy now?"

Mikan exhaled heavily. Her eyes lit up in astuteness, her mouth turned up into a smile impish as Natsume's. "Oh—more than you'll ever know." And she started rubbing her hands together.

Ruka's face darkened in fright, while Natsume gave Mikan a good ol' smack on her head. "Don't tell Imai. Let HIM do it HIMSELF."

Mikan scowled, and eyed at Natsume with his 'you-know-i-have-a-point-look'. "Aw, fine!"

**Meanwhile~**

"How's my little inventor doing?" an ominous atmosphere started running cold in the inventor's room, making her subtly shake in fear.

Hotaru bit her trembling lips. _'Here's hoping I'd do well…'_

"Well, I'm not okay thanks to you—and don't you call me yours—devil." The inventor muttered impassively.

"Watch your words, you brat." Persona started reaching for his pocket, again showing Mikan's picture. "Or you might regret it later." He said, smiling a very sinister smile.

_'This isn't fair play. Why the hell does it have to be me, of all people?'_ she clutched at her skirt tightly, trying to hide her bitter contempt. _'I won't let you touch her. She's the only one I've got. She's someone I could never replace. I won't let you do anything to her!'_

Once Persona left, the three star legend looked around at her lab. It was mysteriously austere. She looked herself in the mirror, and noticed how unkempt she looked. "What the hell happened to you…Hotaru Imai…" she mumbled.

Frustrated, the raven-haired girl decided to take a shower. She was taking quite a while too, _-ahem- _feminine stuff goin' on _-ahem-ahem-_.

"Imai?" Ruka knocked on the inventor's lab door. There was no response, so he decided to come in.

"Huh. Wonder where she is." He said to himself, noticing the blueprints she was making. His eyes widened as he read her notes. "Holy crap, what is she doing?"

Suddenly, a door from somewhere clicked open, revealing a **-gasp-** towel wrapped, freshly bathed inventor.

Both Hotaru And Ruka blushed wide-eyes, apparently surprised. Everything happened so quickly, yet the inventor almost undressed got imprinted on bunny boy's mind. He was abruptly kicked out of the room by Hotaru's baka cannon.

A few moments later, Hotaru opened up her door.

"You idiot." She said simply, and let Ruka inside.

"S-sorry! I thought no one was inside!" he bowed so deep.

"You should've clicked that giant red button. It tells if ever I'm in there or not." Hotaru said stoically.

Ruka then laughed. "For a girl, you're quite calm about something like this. Normally… when that happens, well… the guy gets hurt by some kind of flying bathroom ware."

The inventor looked at the animal boy in disbelief. "Were you enjoying yourself?"

Ruka flushed and shuffled his feet. "Wh-what? No! Of course not!"

"Well, it's just that—" Hotaru paused, showing their picture on the awkward scene (cheebs mode). She pointed to Ruka on the picture. "You were all red."

_'Where does she get those things from? Is she Doraemon's descendant?'_ Ruka thought, surprised. "Wha-what?" he blushed even more. "H-hey, you were blushing too, you know!" he pointed at the inventor's face in the picture.

"That's not what we're talking about." Hotaru looked away.

"Hn. I bet you were the one who was enjoying!" Ruka accused, pointing a finger towards the inventor.

Hotaru smiled derisively. "Me? Enjoying? Wasn't I the victim of your perverted sight?" she said, stoic. "Well, whatever. I'll be going now."

For a few minutes' time, Ruka stood there like an idiot gazing off to who knows where. "Was I really?"

"Well, yeah you were," Koko appeared out of nowhere, interrupting Ruka's thoughts [and momentarily shocking the poor boy]. "Pretty nasty things in there too," he said, shrugging.

"How could you say that!" the animal boy accused, pointing his finger.

"Hello?" Koko gestured wildly towards his body. "Mind reader in the room!"

The animal boy flushed, and shuffled his feet. "Not a word to anyone, or you're dead"

_**Later during the day…**_

"Ruka-pyoooooon!"

The said boy turned around all too eagerly, but all he received was a big punch in the gut.

"You pervert!" A flustered brunette exclaimed, irritated.

"Wh-what? It's not what you think, Sakura!" he said, trying to defend himself from the still pissed off one-star.

BAKA BAKA BAKA

The inventor then sighed, an apparent look of boredom and disinterest written all over her face. "Baka. He's telling the truth."

"H-Hotaru! When did you get here?" Mikan said, taking a step back.

The inventor looked at her watch, still blasé. "Apparently 2 minutes 47 seconds and 1 nano second ago."

Animal boy and bubbly one star girl sweat dropped at Hotaru's accuracy issues.

"R-right." Mikan mumbled. "So anyways, what was that I heard from Koko-kun?"

"Oh…that sniveling little…" Ruka said, trailing off and mumbling colorful words.

"Wow. Bunny boy's got it bad." Hotaru started rummaging her back pack for her always trusty camera. She turned it on, showing Mikan the clip of what happened.

"W-what the heck, Ruka-pyon! You have some nerve! And I've never even seen Hotaru like this--well maybe when we went to a hot spring trip but that doesn't count because I couldn't see underwater-" Mikan babbled on and on until…

BAKA BAKA BAKA

"Mikan. Enough with your perverted musings about my body." Hotaru said, apparent that she couldn't care any less. "Now I have matters to attend to, so…"

And off she was riding on her scooter.

"Hotaru…?" Mikan muttered, looking off to the quickly vanishing inventor.

**a/n:**

Yeah. I'm finally done with this. LOL. Sorry for the very late update. I was pretty bored and tending my boredom with some gaia online. XD

Sorry for a short chappie D:

Reviews please. : )


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